


scatter sunshine

by maparkwr



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, American AU, Character Death, Coming Out, Homophobic Language, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Other, Recreational Drug Use, Religion, Southern AU, Underage Drinking, i think i’ll tag as i go lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26130286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maparkwr/pseuds/maparkwr
Summary: After moving to Auburn, Alabama, Harry Styles has never been more miserable. But the pretty boy with the blue eyes may make it a bit better.y’all that was such a bad summary i’m sorry i promise this story is goodconstructive criticism please, this is my first fic :)
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i hope you enjoy this, i dont know how often i’ll update bc i’m very busy with school, but i’ll try to update every week. this first chapter is really short bc it’s mainly there to set up a couple things, i’m sorry if it’s too short! also no smut in this fic, this is my first one and i’m fifteen and i’m also just not really comfortable writing that. just so y’all know, a lot of different aspects are based on my personal life, so hopefully y’all enjoy it! please give me feedback, positive or negative, all feedback is appreciated :)

“Harry!” His mother yelled, “Come downstairs, we got your schedule for school this year!”

He slowly made his way downstairs, still not quite familiar with the new house they’d recently moved into. For some odd reason, his mom decided that the best place for her to work after graduating college was Alabama.

“What’s the church called again?” He asked as she gave him his schedule.

“I think it was Lakeview Baptist? I’m pretty sure that’s what it’s called. It starts at 9, so you need to be ready to go by 8:45, okay?”

“Yeah, okay”

“And please, babe, let yourself enjoy it. I know this is a big change for you, but don’t ruin it for everyone else by moping around”

He went back to his room and flopped onto his bed.

Things have been tense between Harry and his mom since their fight about moving here. Who would be happy about moving to Auburn, Alabama? I mean, it’s not the worst it could be, it’s a college town, not as many trees and wild animals and stuff. And it’s pretty different from what he imagined when he thinks of the south. It’s seems much more modern, lots of apartment buildings and shops downtown, it even has a Target. He didn’t think people down here knew what a Target was. But there are still some country parts of the city, and a lot of people here are the textbook definition of southern. It’s also a very church-centered city, tons of Christians everywhere, people with crosses and signs that say “Jesus Lives” in their yards, kids walking around asking if you’re going to youth group tonight, girls with Bible verses on the back of their shirts. It’s probably part of why his mom wanted to move here. Of course this is a town she would want to live in.

Mom has grown up Christian. Ever since she was little, she sat in the congregation singing her heart out to the hymns. She still does now. He hates it. Something about it just fills him with this annoyed anger. It didn’t always bother him. When he was younger, he loved it. He loved hearing her sing with so much confidence, like she had no doubt in her heart that what she was singing was true, and he would join her. Slowly, as he got out of that childish ignorance and figured out who he was, and heard what some of the people around him were saying about others, what his own mother was saying about others when she preaches that God does not judge anyone, he realized how much he hated it. He hated myself for hating it. These people seemed so happy to be there, the gospel bringing them so much joy, and here he was only thinking about the negatives. But the positives don’t always outweigh the negatives. When you hear these people who preach that we should show everyone love and kindness no matter what, say that because Lilly wore a dress with straps, she’s a whore, that because Kian drank at a party, he needs to repent or Satan will get to him, that because Michael kissed another boy, he is going to the pits of hell and never coming back up, it definitely bounces around your head more than “God loves all, we’re all sinners”.

With all that in mind, he settled down for the night, getting under the covers with shaking hands and a lump in his throat, scared out of his mind about going to church the next day. Mom forgot to do their daily scripture and prayer, probably too caught up with laundry. He’s glad she did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y’all! i know i said last chapter that i would update weekly, but i had a lot of free time at school so i went ahead and wrote this. this chapter has a lot of dialogue, so i’m sorry if it’s a bit boring. thank you so much for the hits, and please give m feedback! all feedback, positive or negative, is appreciated. thank you for reading, hopefully you enjoy it :)

“People! The world is full of temptation and sin, and there is only one way to avoid it. That way is God. God is in everything we do, He runs our lives. We have to give our lives, our choices over to Him, because He is the ruler of everyone. He guides us through life and loves us through everything.” The minister’s slow voice echoed, his words bouncing around the room. “It looks like we’re running out of time, so if y’all would please join me in singing Hymn #92 ‘For The Beauty Of The Earth.” He gave a tight-lipped smile to the congregation. Harry looked at his mother, who was beaming like she had never heard words so powerful before, like those aren’t the same words they hear every time they go to church.

As they sang, Harry looked at everyone in the pews. Everyone seemed so happy, so content with being stuck in a stuffy building all day. One boy caught his eye, blonde hair styled up, wearing a button-up and khakis. He seemed to be as miserable as Harry was right now, and he seemed to be around the same age as Harry. Maybe he will actually have a friend in this place. He saw another boy, short brown hair and brown puppy dog eyes. He looked, well, not miserable, but like he couldn’t wait to get out of here. Harry could relate to that. Maybe he’ll talk to them once this is over.

So caught up in his thoughts, Harry hadn’t noticed the singing had stopped and everyone had sat down. All eyes were on him, and he sat down quickly, cheeks burning red, head ducked down while they prayed.

Prayer ended and Harry’s mom immediately started introducing herself to the people around them, trying to make a good first impression. He snuck out of the pew and made his way over to the two boys.

“Hi, I’m Harry. I just moved here and my mom made me come here today. You guys didn’t look like you were enjoying yourselves too much, so I think we’d get along well.”

“Wow, straight to the point. Well, I’m Niall,” his accent was thick, drawing out his name, “and you’re correct, I do hate being here.” Harry chuckled while the other boy gave him a stern look.

“Sorry about him, he has no filter. I’m Liam, and I guess I don’t hate it here, but it gets a bit boring.” He looked at Harry with kind eyes, obviously trying to make him feel welcome and comfortable. Southern hospitality, Harry assumes.

“No, no, he’s fine,” Liam looked over Harry’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, my mom is waving at me, we probably have to go. It was nice to meet you, Harry, maybe I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”

“Yeah, maybe. See ya!”

“Bye, y’all”

“I should probably get goin’, too, my mama doesn’t like us stayin’ too long. See ya, Henry”

“It’s Harry”

“I know that” Niall threw Harry a smirk over his shoulder. So that didn’t go to horribly, he might have just made his first friends here. Now he just has to deal with his mom for the rest of the day. Oh no.

-

“Harry, you know we don’t play video games on Sundays.”

“I do know that, I also know that we don’t leave the house except for church, we don’t hang out with anyone, and we don’t work on Sundays. I just don’t know why we don’t.”

“Sundays are days of rest, Harry, we don’t do anything that can distract us from the Lord.”

“Why can’t I play a video game and focus on God?”

“Harry. Don’t argue with me about this. You’re going to get up, go to the dining room, and work on your scripture study. No buts.” She walked away, scowl on her face and arms crossed over her chest, like she had just been personally insulted by Harry looking at the controller on the table.

Harry was not going to do scripture study. Not while it felt like all the air in the house had been stolen and the room was closing in on him. He had to get out for a bit, get some fresh air, have a think, be himself and not just his mother’s idea of who he should be. He left the house with a slam of the door and walked and walked and walked. He didn’t know where he was going, just that he had to go. He took in his surroundings and noticed how odd this town was. To his right was an art museum that had two sculptures of men in bunny costumes in the pond, to his left a greenhouse with purple lights, sitting right next to a huge theatre. He just kept walking, hoping to find other odd things to distract him from his thoughts. He found the library and took in how nice it was. It seemed basic from the entrance, but towards the back was a circular area with glass walls so you could see into the library. He started to cross the street when he saw them.

Two boys sitting right against the glass wall. One had olive skin and jet black hair, sharp cheekbones and kind brown eyes. He had on a leather jacket with a Nirvana tshirt on underneath, ripped up blue jeans covered in paint, and vans. On his lap was a sketchbook, in one hand, a pencil, and in the other, a joint. That’s when he saw the other boy. Something about him gave Harry shivers. He radiated confidence, with his head bent down and his legs stretched out in front of him. He looked up at the street, his eyes a piercing blue, his hair chestnut and his skin tan. He had sharp cheekbones, too, but he seemed to be a bit shorter, curvier than the other boy. He had on a simple outfit, just a sweatshirt and sweatpants, but he somehow made it look designer. You could tell these boys were different from everyone else, no Vineyard Vines and Aftco shorts, but ripped jeans and jackets and torn up ban t shirts. These were the kind of people Harry liked.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a yell.

“Hey!” Harry realized it was the blue eyed boy yelling, “Are you just gonna sit and stare or are you gonna come here and get a close look?”

Harry was taken aback by the boy’s confidence, but made his way down there. As he got closer, he started to introduce himself.

“Hey, I’m Harry. I’m sorry for staring, just zoned out a bit.”

“It’s all good, my name’s Louis, and this is Zayn. He doesn’t talk much, but he’s a nice dude. Just give him a bit to warm up to you.”

So blue eyes’ name is Louis. He also had an accent that Harry hadn’t noticed before, nowhere near as thick as Niall’s, but still there, with the way he draws out his o’s and his i’s turn to ah’s and he drops his t’s. It was the most endearing thing Harry had ever heard.

“I’ve never seen you around before, Harry. You new or somethin’?”

“Ummm yeah, we moved here for my mom’s work.”

“Where from? Probably somewhere up north from the way you’re talkin’”

“Yeah, we moved here from Pennsylvania”

“Oof, big change, Curly. How are you likin’ it?”

“It’s okay, I guess, a couple of things are weird, but, I’ve only been here for a couple days so I haven’t really got an opinion on anything.”

“Weird like the bunny dudes?” And oh. That’s the first time Zayn had talked the whole time, so Harry guesses he’s making a good impression.

“The bunnies are not weird, Zayn, you’re just judgey”

“You only like them cause you’ve lived here your whole life, Lou. You have to like them.” Zayn laughed.

“Wait, you’ve lived here your whole life?”

“Could you not tell by my accent?”

“No, I could, I ju-”

“I’m only jokin’, babe. Yes, I have lived here my whole life. Not really something I’m too proud of, though”

“Why?” Harry questioned.

“I don’t know if you’ve been here long enough to notice, but the people in this town are not the nicest. Very Christian city, Auburn. That’s why I prefer hanging out down here, not as many people to bother you.”

“Yeah, I think part of the reason my mom wanted us to move here was because of all the churches and stuff”

“Which one do you go to, hon?” Zayn asked.

“I go to Lakeview Baptist.”

“Bless your heart. People love to act like Highlands is the worst, but that’s just cause it’s popular. Lakeview is the most conservative.”

“I don’t go to church by choice, my mom makes me go. The whole reason I was over here was because she said that I couldn’t play video games on Sundays. Says it ‘distracts us from the lord’. I say that’s bullshit, but I can’t argue with her.”

“Sounds like a tough mama. Well, you can always hang out with me and Zayn. We’re probably one of the few people in this town that don’t believe in all that stuff. We’d love to have someone else to rant with.” Louis said with a crooked smile on his face.

“Yeah, okay.”

-

The boys kept talking, and eventually Zayn had to leave, so it was just Louis and Harry. The sun had started to set, and Harry understood why people said the south was beautiful. The sunset was gorgeous, and the air was oddly cool. He looked over to see Louis checking his phone.

“Well, Harold, I have to go and help my mama with dinner. Here,” he said, holding his phone out for Harry to take, “put your number in, I’ll text you next time we hang out.”

Harry took his phone and put his number in, making his contact name “Curly”

“See you at school, Louis.” He said as he gave Louis his phone back.

“Bye, Harry!”

Harry couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, his thoughts repeating _“Louis, Louis, Louis”_ as he made his way back home


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y’all! hope y’all are doing good and staying healthy. thank you so much for 100+ hits! that’s crazy! this chapter is longer than the others, but hopefully it keeps y’all entertained. i’m really sorry if it seems boring or slow at some parts, i hit a bit of a block for a while, but i got through it! also, please know that auburn is used more for the setting than anything else, so the representation of the people there is not completely accurate. lastly, i realized how confusing it is to just hear about bunny statues without knowing what they look like, so if you look up “jule collins smith museum bunnies”, y’all will know what they look like. hope y’all enjoy this chapter, like i said before, all feedback/criticism is appreciated. stay healthy y’all!

Harry knew it was gonna be a mess when he made it home, he just didn’t know how much of a mess it would be. He will admit, it was immature to just run out when things didn’t go his way, but he didn’t regret it.

He walked up to his doorstep and stood there for a bit, having a think, then he worked up the courage to open the door and walk in.

It was dead silent. He kept walking in and looked around the corner into the living room. There she was, a Bible in her lap, tears falling down her face, head down. He heard her mumbling under her breath, she was probably praying. She hadn’t noticed him yet.

“Mom?” He called out hesitantly.

She turned around and immediately ran up to him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. He could feel her shaking, but he was frozen in his spot, not used to affection from his mother.

“Oh, Harry. Where did you go? You can’t just leave the house, not when we just moved here. You could’ve gotten lost, or kidnapped. What were you thinking?” Her voice got angrier as she kept talking. Harry saw this coming.

Sometimes, in these moments, he thinks he loves her, thinks she loves him, when she’s holding him like this. Then he remembers, and it all crumbles. He only gets affection when she’s worried, and then the worry gets replaced with anger. That’s how it goes every time something happens. She never feels bad, never feels like, maybe, if she had just let him live, he wouldn’t have left. All the blame goes to Harry. Always.

“I’m fine, Mom. I just needed a minute to be by myself. I only went on a walk for a bit, that’s all.” That wasn’t true, but he didn’t want to make the situation any worse.

“Harry,” he could see her face starting to get red, her brows furrowing, “Never do that again. You cannot scare me like that ever again. Please think of my feelings when you want to do anything like that.”

“But what about my feelings, Mom? I need to have time to myself, you can’t blame me for tha-“

“Harry. You are going to go to your room, and you’re going to stay up there until dinner is ready. We’re having grilled cheese and soup tonight.” He stood there for a bit, just staring at her in shock, “Go.” Her voice was filled with anger and frustration.

He couldn’t help it when his eyes started tearing up, walking up the stairs to his room slowly. He let them fall after his closed his bedroom door, sliding down it and sitting on the floor. He cried silently, not wanting his mom to hear. In her mind, men were strong, showing no vulnerability or emotion. Well fuck her.

He doesn’t know how long he sat there, just crying and crying until it slowed down to a couple hiccups and sniffles.

“Harry, dinner’s ready!” Anne seemed somewhat calm, but he could still hear a bit of frustration in her tone. He quietly made his way downstairs, walking to the dining table while his mom plated the food. She gave him his plate and sat down. He noticed she had her bible on the table.

“I figured that because you’re just going to go back up to your room after this, we could go ahead and read for today. This is Judges 4. ‘And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host _was_ Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth..”

Harry’s phone buzzed, and Anne looked up at him. He didn’t know whether to look at it or not, but when she looked back down, he pulled it out to check.

_Unknown: Hey Curly, it’s Lou. Do you have your schedule yet?_

_You: Yeah, why?_

_Louis: Can you send me a pic of it?_

_You: Sure *attached picture*_

_Louis: Awww only one class :(_

“Harry. You know we don’t get on our phones at the table, especially when we’re reading our scriptures. Put it up.” His mom’s voice was cold, her eyes tired.

“Sorry, mo-”

“You know what,” she said, voice loud and echoing through the house, “We’ll stop here for tonight, you obviously aren’t going to be paying any attention tonight. Let’s say a prayer and then you can go.”

“O-okay” She moved to the seat next to him and took his hands in hers.

“Dear God, we come to you in thanks for the many blessings you give us, the strength and guidance you give us, for everything you do for us every day. Please be with Harry as he starts school, fill him with your strength and love. Amen”

Harry quickly took his hands out of hers and got up, moving as fast as he could up to his room, stairs creaking loudly underneath his weight.

He wasn’t sad this time, no. He was just angry. Angry that he couldn’t do one thing without getting scolded, angry that he couldn’t get anything right in his mom’s eyes, angry that she made him move here where he knew no one, just angry. He slammed his door and sat on his bed, elbows on his knees, head between his hands, breathing harsh and heavy. His phone buzzed in his pocket.

_Louis: Hello??_

_Louis: Harold, where’d you go???_

_You: Sorry, was busy. I’m sad we only have one class together_ _L_

_Louis: Me, too, but it’s better than nothing_

_You: Yeah_

Surprisingly, the conversation with Louis calmed him down, and he realized he was actually very tired. His eyelids were heavy as he changed into pajamas, sliding under the covers, his thoughts being a repeat of _“Louis, Louis, Louis”_ for the second time that day.

-

Harry woke up feeling content, he had slept the best he had in months that night. As he got ready, he realized that he was excited to go to school (or to see Louis, but we’ll go with the former). But of course someone had to burst his bubble.

“Don’t forget to say a prayer before we leave, Harry!” His mother yelled up the stairs. Right, his mom.

“I’ll do that now!” He didn’t. He sat on his bed, listening to his mother moving around downstairs. His life felt like sand slipping through his fingers. He tries to take control, to hold it in his hand, but he can’t, and it falls. He felt like he would never have control, never get out of this place, never get out of his mother’s hold. His breath started getting shallow, slowly becoming less steady and long and more shaky and quick.

“Harry?”

“R-ready, Mom!” He shakily made his way out of his room and down the stairs.

They walked out of the house and got into the car, the air oddly tense after last night’s arguments. They passed the bunnies and the library, Harry smiling at the thought of seeing Louis again. There was just something about the boy that drew Harry in. he realized they were parked just outside the school and started to get out of the car.

“Remember, Harry, God is always there to listen if you need to pray to Him. He will always be there to give you strength and love.”

“Yeah, okay.” Harry had heard this same speech every morning ever since kindergarten. The only difference now is that he didn’t want to hear it. It used to fill him with joy, to hear that God was with him, but now it just annoys him, now he knows that those words are just empty promises. 

He closed the door and walked into the school. It was very nice, but the layout was weird. Harry has noticed that the word “weird” is something he’s used to describe this town a lot. When you walk in, it’s a straight hallway, the front office to the right, but then you keep walking, and the library is right in front of you, and the hallways are to your left and right. The building was three stories, and there were two other buildings that were part of the school. Weird. He looked at his schedule and started going to the right to get to AP Chem, tripping over his own feet, but catching himself.

“Woah there, Bambi, we don’t wanna fall on the first day,” Harry looked up to see Niall and Liam outside of the classroom, Liam giving Niall a stern look.

“Niall, be nice, we just met him yesterday”

“Was only jokin’!”

“Whatever. Hi Harry, how are you?”

“Ummm I’m good, thanks. Do you guys have AP Chem first block?”

“We do. I assume you’re asking because you have it first block, too?”

“Yeah, is this it?”

“It is,” Niall said, “You comin’?”

Harry quickly followed them inside and found his desk, sitting down just as the bell rang.

A woman looking around fifty stood up in front of the class. “Alright class, good mornin’, my name is Ms. Karroll, welcome to AP Chem. I’m just gonna be honest, this class will not be too fun, lots of work and tests, but you chose to be in this class, and if you have an issue with it, you can go to the counselor’s office and talk about changin’ classes with her.” She said with a stern look. “Okay, for role, I’ll just call your name, and you can tell us a fun fact about yourself so we can get to know you”

She went down the list, getting to Harry’s name. “Harry Styles?” She called. “Here!”

“Okay, and tell us something about you”

“Ummm I just moved here from Pennsylvania”

“Really? You likin’ it here so far?”

“Yeah, I guess,” The whole class turned around to look at Harry.

“Harry,” Niall whispered to him, “it’s ‘yes ma’am’”

“Oh”, he said, kinda panicking because now everyone will think he’s rude, “I’m sorry, yes ma’am”

“It’s fine, hon, you’re not from here, you’ll learn eventually.” His cheeks were rosy, blushing from embarrassment. That could have gone better.

-

The class went by with no incidents, besides that first one, and Harry went to second block. Niall and Liam had different classes, but Zayn was in Harry’s second block. They talked a bit throughout class, still trying to get to know each other. That class went by quick and third block was next.

“Hey, Harry, what’s your third block?”

“Ummm,” he pulled out his schedule, “Art,”

“Me, too. We can walk there together,” Harry had never met someone more laidback, and he honestly wished he could be like that. They walked to the art room and took their seats, Zayn leaving one empty between them, and that’s when Harry remembered. This is the block he has with Louis. Like he knew Harry was thinking about him, Louis walked through the door, loose grey tank top and tight black skinny jeans accentuating his curves, hair down on his forehead. A huge smile appeared on his face when he noticed Harry staring, “This seat for me, Curly?” he asked. A faint blush rose onto his cheeks and he answered, “If you want it to be,” Louis smirked at that, “Sass. I like it, Styles.” The blush grew darker after that comment, Louis taking his seat right as the teacher started talking. Harry didn’t know what she was saying, too busy focusing on Louis, his pretty eyes, his sharp cheekbones, his tan skin, his fat- “Harry? Is Harry Styles here?” The teacher called. “Here, ma’am,” He got a weird look from her, but she went on with role.

“What’s got you so distracted, Styles?” Louis asked, smirk still there.

“N-nothing,” Harry answered, not daring to make eye contact right now.

This was going to be difficult.

-

Third block was difficult with Louis sitting next to him, always trying to make a joke, but Harry wasn’t mad. He also got to spend even more time than normal with Louis because they had lunch that block. Conversation was easy with Louis and Zayn, both being very chill but confident people. Harry felt like he fit right in. They had invited him to hang out with them at the library again and Harry couldn’t wait. He. h never wanted this class to end, feeling comfortable around the two boys, but the bell had rung and he needed to get to fourth block. Louis didn’t seem to happy, either.

“See you later, Harold?” He asked. A huge grin spread across Harry’s face.

“See you later,” Louis smiled at that, and they went their separate ways.

Harry spent the rest of the day thinking about Louis and how they were gonna hang out later, and couldn’t help but be excited as he made his way to the library.

-

When Harry got to the library after school, he only saw Zayn sitting outside. “Is Louis not here yet?” He asked Zayn, who looked just as confused as Harry was.

“Ummmm, let me text him, he’s never been late before.” He pulled out his phone and texted Louis. Harry watched Zayn as he did this. His phone buzzed and he saw Zayn’s expression turn from confused to sympathetic? That was weird. He looked up at Harry with soft eyes.

“He’s gonna be late, but he’s coming. Just has to do something at home,” Zayn’s tone let Harry know that was all the information he was getting, so he didn’t ask questions. They sat there in silence, asking each other the occasional question. After about half an hour, Louis showed up. He looked worn out and he was much less energetic than he was earlier. “Hey, boys. Has the fun started yet?” Louis’ attempt at a joke fell flat, but Harry and Zayn gave him small smiles. He sat down, his movements slow from how tired he is.

“Hey, Lou. You doing okay?” Zayn asked. Louis’ smile faltered a bit, the corners of his mouth turning down, but he quickly plastered a grin on his face.

“Yeah, I’m doin’ good, just a little tired. What about y’all?” Both boys could tell there was something else going on, but didn’t want to push it .

“I’m doing good, little tired from the first day, though,” Louis’ eyes lit up.

“That’s right, it was your first day here! How did it go, Harold?” Harry felt a small smile creep onto his face, glad he could make Louis smile.

“It went well, had an incident in first block, but other than that it went well,” Zayn looked at him with a confused expression.

“What happened?” Harry told the boys what happened and they all laughed, going around and telling their own stories from the day.

Conversation carried on like that ‘til sundown, the boys going their separate ways soon after. Harry had no clue what to think about Louis’ tardiness, his lack of energy, anything that happened. The boy seemed upset, but Harry could tell he was trying to mask it, paint on a smile and go through the motions so no one notices. He wished he knew what made this boy so despondent or why he felt the need to hide it, but he didn’t. All he knew was that he needed to get closer to the boy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey babes! happy labor day weekend to anyone who is celebrating it, and if you’re going out to celebrate, stay safe and healthy! right now, i still don’t have a set update schedule, i’ll try to update once a week, but not on a specific day. this chapter was really easy to write for me, but it’s also my longest chapter. //tw// for some homophobia/homophobic language. the story is gonna start to pick up a bit more from here, so hopefully y’all enjoy it! thank you so much for reading, and please remember that all feedback is appreciated :)

The week went on like that, a similar routine every day. Harry hung out with Louis and Zayn after school and talked to Liam and Niall. Louis seemed to be doing better than he was on Monday, the whole thing forgotten. That Thursday, outside of the library, they had just been talking, when Louis asked Harry a question.

“So, Curly, you goin’ to the game tomorrow?”

“Game?” Louis and Zayn looked at him, shocked at his response. Louis immediately started explaining.

“The football game! It’s a huge thing for the high school, everyone goes. We have themes like white-out, or country, and people bring their kids and there’s always a ton of drama and fights, that’s the best part. But it is a huge thing, Harold, and you should come with us to show support for the Auburn Tigers,” Louis said with a goofy grin on his face. Harry sat for a bit, thinking about what to say.

“I’ve never even been to a football game before,” Louis and Zayn gaped at him again.

“Never?? Like, not even a little league one?” Louis asked, Harry shaking his head ‘no’, “Well now you have to come, Harry, we get to take you to your first football game! Oh, you’re gonna love it, there’s always so many people and they’re all dressed up and the concessions are amazing, like, they have Chick-fil-A and popcorn and burgers and- oh, and the marching band, oh my god, please tell me you’ll go?” Harry started giggling at Louis’ rambling and shot him a huge grin.

“I’ll go,” He said. Louis cheered and cheered and hugged Harry and cheered again and Harry couldn’t wipe the grin of his face. He looked over to Zayn and saw him smiling fondly. “Will you come, too, Zayn?” Zayn looked over at Harry and grinned.

“Of course I will,” he said, looking over to Louis, “he would never let me stay home for one, anyways,” Harry laughed at that, and looked over at the endearing boy, dancing and cheering like he won the lottery. Louis looked at Harry with wide eyes.

“Oh my god, what will we wear?? What’s the theme?” He seemed genuinely concerned, which made Harry giggle.

Zayn answered, “I think people were saying it was black-out,” Louis grinned at that.

“I love black-out! We don’t even have to plan anything,” He looked at his phone and frowned, “It’s gettin’ late, boys, I best be goin’ home” He said, a bit of sadness in his tone. They all got up and hugged each other goodbye, going their separate ways.

Harry couldn’t wait until tomorrow

-

“Mom?”

“In the kitchen!” Harry quickly made his way to his mother.

“Okay, I know this is really last minute, but, Niall and Liam are having a party with some of the people from youth group tomorrow, and I was wondering if I could go? Pleeeease?”

“Of course you can, but you need to get a ride to and from, I have to run some errands,” She said with a smile on her face

“Thank you thank you thank you!” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran up to his room. So maybe he told a little lie, but it was necessary.

-

The next day, Harry couldn’t contain his excitement for the game. He was fidgety all day and rushed home when the day as over, getting his all black outfit ready and waiting patiently for Zayn to pick him up. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he checked it.

_Zayn: outside. u coming?_

_You: Yeah_

Harry made his way to the Jeep outside and got in to the passenger’s seat. Zayn gave him a smile, “Hey Harry. How are you doing, you excited for tonight?” A huge grin formed on Harry’s face.

“I’m really excited. I’ve never been to a football game before,” Zayn laughed at that, already knowing that because Harry has said it multiple times.

“Harry, do you know how long football games are?”

“Only, like, an hour, hour and a half?” Zayn looked at him with a small smile.

“There, like, four hours long,” He started laughing at Harry’s innocence. Harry’s eyebrows went up to his hairline and he looked down at his outfit. He had on black jeans and a black long-sleeve t-shirt. He looked at Zayn’s outfit, seeing he only had black jeans and a loose black t -shirt on. “Do you want to go and change?” Harry already felt bad about making him drive him there and back, so he shook his head. Zayn just raised his eyebrows and started driving.

The ride over wasn’t long, five minutes at most, and they did pass the bunnies on the way there. They talked a lot, though, made a couple of jokes, and then they were at the stadium. They payed for their tickets and walked in. Louis said that football games were a big thing here, but Harry didn’t know they were this big. The stands were full, and there were people walking around everywhere. Everyone was wearing black, and there were little kids running around. Harry turned and saw a group of girls looking around junior high age comforting their crying friend. Louis wasn’t lying when he said there was drama.

“Are we gonna sit or,” Harry asked, as Zayn had just been standing there and looking around.

“Not in the stands, no. I’m looking for a good spot to sit while we wait on Louis,” He turned around, a smile appearing on his face, “Speak of the devil,” Louis walked over with a huge grin.

“Boys, oh how I’ve missed y’all!” He gave Harry and Zayn hugs as they laughed at his greeting.

“Lou, we just saw you, like, five hours ago,” Zayn responded.

“Five hours too long. Styles, how you feelin’, excited?” he looked at Harry’s outfit, “Long sleeves?” Harry pouted.

“I didn’t know football games were so long, I thought they were, like, only an hour,” Louis laughed at that.

“I think you’ll live, maybe you won’t enjoy it, but you’ll live,” Louis said with a smirk. Zayn gave them both a confused look and spoke up.

“Can we go find a seat now? There’s already girls crying and we can’t miss anymore drama,” They all agreed and started walking. They ended up sitting against a brick wall close to the gate, and they could see everything going on around them.

“So, are we actually gonna watch the game or are we just gonna sit here? I’m fine with either, its just tha-”

“Curly, if you wanna watch the game, we can, but we come here to hang out. The game is honestly boring, but again, if you wanna watch, we will,” Harry didn’t know what to say to that.

“Ummmm we can stay here if the game is boring,” He said with a shrug of his shoulders. Louis gave him a reassuring smile.

“Okay, but if you change your mind, let us know,” Harry just nodded his head and they went back to their normal conversation.

-

Harry was having a great time, and he could understand why Louis loves these games so much. Everyone seemed so excited, the game only starting thirty minutes ago. Him, Zayn, and Louis hadn’t stopped talking since they sat down, conversation flowing easily between them.

“You ever been to Atlanna, babe?” Harry looked over to see that Louis was talking to him. He gave him a confused look.

“Atlanna? Where is that?” He had never heard of Atlanna before.

“Georgia? You’ve never heard of it? It’s like, the biggest city in Georgia,” That’s when it hit Harry.

“You mean Atlanta?” Harry said, giggling a bit at Louis’ accent.

“Whatever, it’s the same city. Back to my question, have you ever been?” Harry shook his head ‘no’.

“No? Oh, we’ll have to take you there one day, its great. Traffic is shitty, but it’s a fun place. Oh my god, we have to take you to the aquarium, you can see the dolphin show an-”

“Louis,” Zayn cut in, laughing a bit at Louis’ antics, “We’ll take him there, yeah? Just let the boy breathe, babe,”

“Sorry, Harold, just got excited,”

“It’s okay, Louis, I forgive you. Now, can we get concessions? I’m hungry,” Louis didn’t even respond, just jumped up and started walking over, Zayn and Harry trailing behind.

-

They had just finished watching the marching band and sat back down when it happened. They had been talking, not bothering anyone, just talking. This was probably the most fun Harry had had since he moved here.

“Look, guys, it’s the f*gs!”

Harry’s head shot up, seeing a group of boys looking at them and laughing. He was getting ready to yell back when he looked over and saw Zayn and Louis, heads down, not a word coming out of their mouths, and they didn’t look like they were planning on talking anytime soon. The boys walked away, still laughing. Zayn stood up and walked off, Harry getting ready to follow when Louis put a hand on his shoulder.

“Let him go. He needs to be alone for a bit. He’ll come back,” Harry sat back down reluctantly. After a couple of minutes of silence, Harry spoke up.

“Why didn’t you do anything? Or say anything? Why did you just let them say that?” Harry asked, confusion evident in his voice.

“There’s no point. It doesn’t do anything. They’ve been saying shit like that for years, we’ve learned to just ignore it,” Louis looked up at Harry with sad eyes, looking defeated and tired. Harry didn’t say anything, just pulled him into a huge hug. Louis was trembling against his chest, and was sniffling every once and awhile. “You’re okay, sunshine, you’re okay,” Harry tried his best to comfort the boy, and soon his breaths evened out and he was just sitting there, wrapped up in Harry’s embrace. Harry held him for what felt like hours until Zayn came back. Zayn didn’t say a word, just sat down next down to them. Louis started tugging on Harry’s shirt. “Harry?”

“What is it, sunshine?” Harry asked. Louis looked up at him.

“Harry, I wanna leave now,” His bottom lip started trembling, and Harry knew that there was only one option.

“Zayn, I’m taking Louis home. You can come with us, if you want,” Zayn just shook his head.

“I’m probably gonna go home, too, so,” Harry just nodded and stood up, wrapping his arm around Louis’ waist. “Where’s your car, love?” Harry asked as they walked out to the parking lot, Louis pointing to it. “Do you want me to drive you home?” Louis nodded but asked his own question.

“Can we, um, not go to my house?” Harry’s brows furrowed in confusion, “Can we go to your house instead? Please?” Harry couldn’t say no. Louis just looked so sad and desperate.

The car ride home was quiet, Harry looking over to check on Louis every thirty seconds. It was kind of scary, watching Louis. He was crying really hard, but his face was blank. He didn’t move, didn’t make any noise, just sat there like a statue. They pulled up to Harry’s house, and Harry helped Louis out of the car and inside.

“You don’t have to worry about making noise or anything. My mom’s not home, so,” Louis just nodded. Harry took him upstairs to his room, knowing the boy probably just wants some quiet, some sense of calmness. Harry took his shoes and pants off, Louis only taking off his shoes. They got under the covers, Louis immediately cuddling up to Harry. He had stopped crying, but Harry could tell he was still upset. It was silent for a bit, when Harry asked a question.

“How long have they been saying stuff like that, Louis?”

“Since freshman year,”

“Louis, we’re seniors,” Harry said, a little shocked it’s been going on for this long.

“I know. Trust me, I know. They started sayin’ it after I came out. I don’t regret comin’ out, but sometimes I wish they didn’t know,” Harry pulled Louis closer and it was quiet again.

“Louis?” Harry asked a couple minutes later.

“Yes?”

“Why didn’t you want to go home?” Louis stiffened in his hold. It was quiet for a bit.

“Ummm,” he started, “I have a lot of sisters, and they’re always loud, and I just wanted quiet,” He looked up at Harry trying to see his reaction. Harry just looked at him.

“I know that’s not the whole reason, but I’m not gonna push. Just know that I’m here for you, okay?” Louis nodded, “Now go to sleep, sunshine. You’ve had a long day,” Louis smiled at that and cuddled closer to Harry, closing his eyes and letting himself relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me someone looked up the bunnies. if you did, i need opinions


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y’all! hope everyone is healthy and happy. first, i wanna say thank you for all the love on this fic. 300+ hits is crazy! next, i want y’all to know that i don’t really like this chapter, it was first written to learn more about harry and louis and develop their relationship a bit, but then i realized that i wanted all five boys to be friends so i kinda switched gears. lastly, i want to say thank you for reading this fic, i really appreciate it. stay safe and healthy, and remember, all feedback is appreciated :)

“Harry,” Someone was shaking Harry, which Harry really did not appreciate “Harry, it’s, like, noon, you need to wake up,” Harry finally gave up and let his eyes open, seeing Louis, sleep-rumpled and messy hair, standing in front of him, a small smile on his face.

“Oh my god, you probably wanna go home, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have slept so-” Louis put his finger up to Harry’s mouth.

“Curly, it’s fine. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind staying here for awhile,” Louis seemed…happy? It was weird because just last night he was sobbing, completely distraught, and now, he was happy, like nothing had happened. Harry noticed the boy had a habit of doing that.

“Harry? Are you listening?”

“Oh sorry, what did you say?”

“I was wondering if I could stay here a bit longer. Just don’t want to go home quite yet,” Louis said with a shrug of his shoulders. Harry immediately agreed

“Yeah, yeah, just let me go talk to my mom and let her know,” Harry made his way downstairs and saw his mom in the kitchen.

“Mom? Hey, I have a friend over right now,” her eyebrows flew up, “He was at the party last night and he got locked out of his house. Um his parents are out of town, so I let him stay here. Could he stay longer, please?” The lie came easily, Harry feeling no guilt.

“Yeah, of course, just let me know if I need to take him home,” Harry nodded and went upstairs.

“Mom said you can stay longer, if you want,” Louis lit up at that.

“Awesome! What should we do?” Harry just shrugged.

“I don’t really have anything fun to do. We could just talk, I guess,”

“Okay,” Louis said, dragging out the y, “What should we talk about?”

“Anything, I guess,” And they did. They talked for hours, just asking questions and telling jokes. Harry had never felt more comfortable just being with someone. Louis could fill up an empty room with just his presence, his personality was huge and endearing. Harry could listen to his voice for forever, the light rasp and higher pitch soothing. It was all very happy and lighthearted until a different question came up.

“Louis, why do you really not wanna go home?” Louis seemed shocked at the question, and didn’t answer for a bit.

“Home’s just not the happiest place for me,” Harry could tell Louis wanted the conversation to end there, but he kept pushing.

“Why?”

“Ummmm, my dad just doesn’t really like me. Well, he’s not my real dad, he’s my stepdad, but uh, he just, doesn’t really like that I’m gay. Just don’t really feel like bein’ there while he’s there,” He shrugged at the end like he had just said the most casual thing. Harry pulled him into his chest and they just sat for a bit before Harry spoke up.

“You know, my mom was raised Baptist, always been very devoted to church, so obviously, she tried to do the same for me. I remember hearing her sing on Sundays, and I’d just be in awe of how perfect she seemed. I felt like she knew everything, and I really looked up to her. Then, as I started to grow up a bit, I realized that some things felt off. You know, the minister would say that, like, God had told him that people should only have one piercing, but he couldn’t tell us why besides ‘God said so’. Then they got to talking about gay people, and oh my god, did I get mad,” He chuckled a bit, “Talking about them like they were things, saying things like, ‘We don’t hate them, we just don’t support them because they are sinners’, you know, homophobic but doesn’t want to admit it,” Louis laughed at that, “But it got really bad when I heard my mom saying stuff like that. You know, it didn’t feel good hearing it from people at church, but something about hearing it from her hurt more. Obviously I know now why it hurt, but then I didn’t get it. Now I know it’s because she was talking about me when she said it. When had my first crush on a boy, I went home and cried and just prayed and prayed and prayed, begging God to be anything but gay,” He took a big breath, trying not to get emotional, “After that, I just sat on my bed and thought. I just thought about how I felt about being gay, the church, my mom, everything. And I realized that I had never really believed everything they taught me at church, I just blindly followed because of my mom, and I made a decision right then and there that I would never believe it. And I don’t, but I still go to church, just for my mom, but, yeah,” Louis pulled away and looked up at Harry, sad look in his eyes.

“That’s a great story, but why did you tell it?” Harry could tell he wasn’t trying to be mean, he was genuinely curious.

“Because I want you to know that you’re not alone, Louis. Never alone,” Louis’ eyes filled with tears, and he fell into Harry, pressing his face into his chest. He just sobbed, and Harry held him, a steady hand running down his back.

“Thank you, Harry. Thank you so much,” He choked out, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders.

-

They sat there for hours just holding each other. Louis had calmed down after awhile and now they were still talking.

“Harry? Do you think you’ll ever come out to your mom?” Harry took in a big breath. This was a hard question.

“Do I want to? Yes, of course I do. When? I don’t know. I think I will eventually, but I don’t know when. It could be by the end of the school year, could be when I’m forty, I won’t know until I do it. I just, I feel like it would break her heart. I’m really all she has, and I don’t know if I could ever hurt her like that,”

“What do you mean when you say you’re all she has?” And that hit Harry right where it hurts. He never liked talking about his family. Not like he’s ashamed of them or embarrassed, just that it hurts to talk about them, to even _think_ about them.

“Ummm,” He lets out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, “My family situation isn’t…perfect. My dad left when I was little, but I don’t remember much of him. I have a sister, her name’s Gemma. We were really close, but when she graduated, she just left. Her and my mom never got along well, so she just cut off contact with her, but apparently cutting off my mom also included me. Gemma visits sometimes, but it’s never fun, always too awkward and tense. It broke Mom’s heart when Gemma left, and I don’t want to hurt her like that, make her go through that pain twice. I don’t know,”

“But you deserve to be happy, Harry,” Harry just shrugged. He was about to say something when Louis’ phone rang. He groaned and picked it up.

“Hello?…Yeah, I’m at a friend’s house…Now?...Yeah, okay, I’ll be there in a bit…Bye,” He turned to Harry, “My dad just called, I need to go home,”

“I’ll walk you out,” They made their way downstairs and out to Louis’ car.

“Thank you, Curly, for lettin’ me stay and talkin’ to me and all that,”

“You’re welcome, Lou,” They hugged each other tightly. Louis let go and got in his car, giving Harry a smile and a wave as he drove away.

-

Sunday came and Harry was at church again.

“Good mornin’, Henry!” Harry turned to see Niall looking at him, Liam smiling next to him. “I thought you hated church?”

“I do, Neil. I absolutely despise it, but unfortunately, my mom does not,” Harry responds, smiling while he says it. Niall and Liam laugh, Harry feels comfortable. “Do you mind if I sit with you guys today?”

“Oh, not at all, but we should probably sit down soon,” Harry has noticed that Liam tends to think ahead and plan. He also tends to worry a lot, based on the furrow in his brow when he ends his sentence.

“Yeah, sure,” Harry said. He shot his mom a text letting her know about his seating arrangement and followed Liam and Niall. They took their seats in the pews and the service started. Niall spent the whole hour making jokes and comments to Harry, and they both couldn’t stop laughing. Liam gave them looks the whole time, always the responsible one, but that only made them laugh harder.

The service ended and they all stood up. Niall, Liam, and Harry kept talking to each other.

“Do you know anyone else around here, Harry? Got any other friends?”

“Um yeah, I don’t know if you know them, but Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. I’ve been hanging out with them,” Liam and Niall seemed….shocked?

“Them? Wow. Bold choice of friends, Styles,” Harry’s brow furrowed. What was that supposed to mean? “Anyways, me and Niall were gonna hang out later, you wanna come?” Harry pulled his phone out to check the time, seeing a message from Zayn.

_Zayn: me and lou are going to the library in like an hour, you coming?_

_You: Is it okay if I bring some friends? I promise they’re cool_

_Zayn: that’s fine. see you then?_

_You: Yeah_

“Zayn just texted asking if I wanted to hang out. You guys wanna come with?” Niall and Liam seemed a bit hesitant.

“Sure? I mean, I’ve always wondered what they were like,” Niall said, Liam nodding his head in agreement.

“Okay, let me go talk to my mom,” Harry walked off, going up to his mom, “Hey mom, Liam and Niall invited me to hang out. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine, no funny business, though,” The people around Anne laughed, but Harry knew she was being serious. He just nodded and walked back to Liam and Niall, smile on his face.

“We ready to go?” Harry said, already walking out while Niall and Liam followed.

“Where are we goin’?”

“The library,” Niall groaned, “Come on, Ni, loosen up, it’ll be fun,”

-

“Harold! How are you, hon? Have fun at church?” Louis wrapped Harry in a big hug. Harry has noticed Louis is big on affection, always up for a cuddle. “And who do we have here?” He was only teasing when he said that, but Harry could tell Niall and Liam were scared for some reason he didn’t understand.

“That’s Liam,” He pointed to Liam, who gave Louis a timid wave, “And that’s Niall,” He turned to whisper in Louis’ ear, “Just wait ‘til you hear his accent,” Louis giggled at that.

“Well, boys, I don’t bite, come give me a cuddle,” That shocked Niall and Liam, and Harry had no clue why these boys expected Louis to be, like, evil or something. Hugs were given and introductions were shared , and they all sat down on the grass. Zayn showed up a few minutes later.

“Hey, babes, how are we doing?” He gave Harry and Louis hugs, then turned to Liam and Niall, who shrunk under his gaze. “I’m Zayn, it’s nice to meet you guys,” Liam and Niall hesitantly introduced themselves and Zayn sat down. After a few moments of awkward silence, Harry couldn’t contain his curiosity.

“So, why are you guys acting like they’re gonna pounce on you at any point in time?” He said, turning to Niall and Liam. They both kept their eyes on the ground, not daring to look up.

“Well,” Niall cleared his throat, “Just, people around school say they’re, like, super mean, and like, that we shouldn’t go near ‘em and stuff,” Liam nodded vigorously beside him.

Harry expected Louis and Zayn to argue, to yell, to just generally be upset and angry.

They just laughed. Like, no noise, red face, crying laughed. They laughed for like five minutes, Harry just chuckling next to them, and Niall and Liam sitting in shock. Louis and Zayn finally started to calm down, wiping their tears, and Louis finally said something.

“I can promise y’all that is not true. Most people at school don’t like us much, but I honestly get a laugh out of it, so it’s whatever,” He said, chuckling here and there. Niall and Liam noticeably relaxed, and conversation flowed easily after that, everyone comfortable and enjoying themselves. Louis turned to Harry and whispered.

“You weren’t lying about his accent,”

-

Harry has noticed that Louis and Niall are very similar and get along pretty well. He’s also noticed that Liam and Zayn stare at each other a lot. Harry has noticed a lot today.

“I have an idea,” All heads turned to Louis as he spoke, “We should go around the circle and tell a joke,” Niall moaned.

“Tommooo, that is a horrible idea,”

“Heyyyy,” Harry cut in, “I think it’s a great idea,”

“Thank you, Harold. Now, I think Zayn should start and then we’ll go counter clockwise,” Niall gave Louis a confused look, causing Louis to roll his eyes, “To the right,”

“Okay, I have, like, no jokes, but I’ll just tell a normal one. How do you make a tissue dance?” Zayn’s voice was serious, but he had a huge smile on his face and was looking at…Liam? “You put a little boogie in it,” Everyone laughed, even if they’d heard that joke a million times before.

“Liam, you’re turn!” Louis seemed genuinely excited to here everyone’s jokes, and Harry watched on with a fond smile. Louis just had this thing about him. He just radiated sunshine and happiness, his smile glowing. If Louis was the sun, Harry was most definitely the moo-

“Harry, did you hear Liam’s joke?” Louis asked, laughing while he did. Harry couldn’t tell him no. _Sorry, I didn’t because I was thinking about you_? Who would say that? He just nodded and laughed along, even though he had no clue what Liam’s joke was.

“Okay, okay, my turn. Prepare to laugh your heads off, y’all, this joke always gets people laughing,” Everyone calmed down, turning their attention to Niall.

“Why did the tomato blush?” He paused for dramatic effect, “It saw the salad dressing!” Niall cracked up, falling on to his side with tears coming out of his eyes. The rest of the group was silent, a pity chuckle here and there.

“Niall,” Harry said, looking him straight in the eye, “I’m going to be completely honest. That was one of the worst jokes I have ever heard,” Louis started laughing next to him, stuffing his face into Harry’s shoulder to stifle it. Harry was barely holding it together on his end.

“Whatever, you guys just don’t have a good sense of humor. Let’s hear your joke, Styles,” Niall fired back with a scowl on his face.

“Knock knock,” Harry looked at Louis expectantly.

“Who’s there?” Louis replied. Harry couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Hula,”

“Hula who?”

*POP*

Louis couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. The joke wasn’t even funny, but it was Harry telling it.

“That wasn’t even funny! Why are you laughing at that but not my joke?” Niall’s reaction made Louis laugh even harder.

“It was just funnier!” Louis could not stop laughing. Harry had been sitting with a smug look on his face, but then he noticed he hadn’t heard anything from Zayn and Liam in a bit and looked over at them. They were caught up in their own conversation, small smiles on their faces while they talked. His attention was brought back when Louis started poking him.

“Harry, I’m tellin’ my joke now, you have to listen!”

“I’m listening, I’m listening,”

“Why did the mushroom go to the party?” He looked at Harry, “Because he was a fungi!”

Harry couldn’t hold it together. He laughed and laughed and laughed with Louis. They eventually calmed down and noticed everyone was staring at them.

“Sorry, sorry,” Louis said, wiping his tears away for the millionth time today, “What do we want to talk about now?” Zayn responded.

“It’s getting late, Lou, we should get going,” Louis pouted, and Harry cooed internally at how adorable the boy was.

Everyone hugged and said bye, then went their separate ways. And if Harry spent the rest of the day thinking about Louis, well, no one needs to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y’all this chapter was so bad i’m sorry. i promise it will get better. also how would y’all feel abt there being ziam in this fic?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey babes, hope y’all are healthy and happy! i would like to apologise for the last chapter, that was atrocious. this chapter is a bit better in my opinion, less all over the place, but it’s also a bit shorter, so sorry about that! tw//for some talk of homophobia and islamophobia. i hope y’all enjoy this chapter! thank you so much for reading, stay safe and wear a mask, and as always, all feedback is appreciated :)

“Harold!” Harry turned to see Louis walking into the art room, a huge smile on his face. He stood up to give Louis a hug, “How are you doin’ today, babe?”

“Good, sunshine, how are you?” Louis’ face lit up at the pet name.

“I’m good. Listen, I was textin’ Niall and,” It was Friday, only a couple days after Louis and Niall met, and they were always texting. Honestly, Harry was starting to regret ever taking Niall and Liam with him to the library.

“Curly, are you even listenin’?” Louis was waving his hand in front of Harry’s face.

“Sorry, sorry, what were you saying?” Louis rolled his eyes.

“Whatever. Niall texted me, said his momma just rented a lake house for Labor Day weekend, and he was wonderin’ if me, you, and Zayn wanted to go with him and Liam,”

“When would we be going?” Louis seemed hesitant to answer.

“That’s the kicker, um, tonight?” Louis looked at his lap, for some reason, scared of how Harry’s reaction. Harry’s eyes widened.

“Oh. Um, well, I’ll just tell my mom I’m staying at Niall’s, but I’ll need someone to drive me home to pack. I would normally walk home because my mom works ‘til eleven, but if we’re leaving tonight, I won’t have time,” Louis’ head shot up, a big smile on his face.

“I’ll take you home,”

“Okay then,” Harry said, already texting his mom about going to Niall’s.

“Wait, you’ll go?” Harry nodded, “Yes! This is gonna be so much fun, oh my god, we can go tubin’ and then we’ll take you on the se-”

“Louissss,” Zayn said as he walked into the room, “I know you’re happy he’s coming, but we really need to work on your rambling,” Louis pouted, but he knew Zayn was teasing.

“Sorry, Harry, just got excited,” Harry _awwwed_ internally.

“It’s okay, sunshine,” The teacher started talking, and Harry pulled his phone out to check the time.

_Mom: Okay, that’s fine, but don’t forget your scriptures, okay?_

He pocketed his phone and looked to the front of the classroom.

-

“Louis, are you sure we don’t need sunscreen?”

“Yes, I promise you’ll be fine without it,” Did Harry believe him? No. Was he gonna listen anyway? Yes. He walked out of the bathroom and put the last of his stuff in his duffel bag and zipped it up, putting it over his shoulder and turning to Louis. “Ready to go, Curly?”

Harry nodded, a cheesy grin on his face. He had to admit, he was really excited about this trip. “Born ready!” Louis laughed and started walking towards the stairs, Harry following behind. They made their way to Louis’ car and got in.

“We’re going to Niall’s house first, right?” Harry asked as Louis started driving.

“Yeah, then Liam’s gonna drive us to the lake. He’s using his mom’s van, so we can fit all of our stuff in there,”

The rest of the drive to Niall’s was quiet, but comfortable. They pulled into Niall’s driveway, seeing Liam and Niall standing next to the van, the back of it opened, with all of their stuff in the trunk.

“Where’s Zayn?” Harry asked, Louis looking at him with a smile.

“Don’t worry so much, Curly, you’ll get wrinkles. He’s probably gonna be late, like always,” Harry chuckled and got out the car with his stuff.

“Boys! The fun has arrived!” Liam laughed, but Niall just stared.

“Did you leave it in the car? I don’t see it,” Niall said, trying to act like he was looking for it. Louis cackled from where he was getting his bag out of his trunk.

“Heyyy,” Harry turned to Louis, pout on his face, “You’re supposed to be backing me up,”

“I’m sorry, but I can recognize good sass, and that, Curly, was good sass,” Louis responded, walking up to put his stuff in the van,

“So, we’re just waiting on Zayn now?” Liam asked. Liam seems to have a connection with Zayn, the two talking a lot since Sunday.

“Speak of the devil,” Louis grinned as Zayn pulled up, him and Harry walking to his car. 

“Hey babes, how are we doing?” Zayn had a huge smile on his face. He hugged Louis and Harry and got his stuff out of the car.

Once everything was in the truck, they all piled into the car, Liam driving with Niall in the passenger’s seat, Zayn, Louis, and Harry in the middle row.

“How long is the drive? And how long are we staying?” Harry questioned after realizing he had no clue what was happening besides the fact that they were going to the lake.

“It’s forty five minutes-ish, and we’ll probably be stayin’ ‘til Monday, but if we want to leave early, we can,” Harry nodded.

“Curly, I have a question,”

“Yes, sunshine?” Harry responded, joking around, but still didn’t miss the way Louis brightened at the name.

“Based on the fact that you had never gone to a football game, I’m assumin’ you’ve never been to the lake before, am I correct?”

“Yes,” Harry said quietly, blushing for some reason. Louis just smiled and kept talking.

“Niall, what do you have for us to do when we get there?”

“Um I have a boat and a tube, so we can do that, and I also have a sea doo,” Harry was completely lost. What in the world is a sea doo?

“Sick, dude. This is gonna be so much fun!” Louis seemed to know what it was, but Harry still didn’t.

“I’m sorry, what is a sea doo?” The car was silent for a bit, then all the boys bursted out laughing. Harry just sitting there, not saying a word.

“You should have seen your face, dude,” Liam said, laughing again after he finished talking.

“Haha, very funny, now can someone please explain to me what a sea doo is?”

“Sorry, Hazza, sorry. You know what a jet ski is, right?” Harry nodded, turning to look at Louis, “Well, that’s pretty much what a sea doo is. We just call it somethin’ different down here,”

“Too confusing,” Harry muttered. “Well, I’m gonna nap for a bit, so goodnight, wake me up when we get there,”

“Will do, Harold,”

-

“Harry, Hazzaaaaaa wake up! We’re here, get up!” Harry jolted awake at the yelling, Louis sitting next to him with a smirk on his face.

“I’m up,” He said, his voice hoarse from not using it. “How long was I asleep?” Louis snorted.

“Like twenty minutes,”

“Felt like hours,”

“Whatever, Curly, you need to get up, I wanna see the house,” Harry started to wake up a bit more and realized it was just him and Louis.

“Where’s everyone else? Why aren’t you with them?” Louis blushed and looked down.

“They’re inside, looking at the house. I wanted to wait for you to wake up, but then you didn’t wake up and I got impatient,” Harry laughed at that and opened the car door.

“Well, why don’t we go now?” He held his hand out to Louis, who blushed again and let Harry pull him out of the car and to the house.

The house was a very standard lake house, three stories with a lot of sitting rooms and a couple bedrooms. As Louis and Harry walked through the house, Harry realized they were still holding hands. He didn’t let go, though. He felt like he could never let go.

“Hey, lovebirds, you wanna come look at the lake with us?” Niall yelled, a small smile on his face while he looked at the two. Louis dropped Harry’s hand, and Harry pouted. Louis turned to give him an apologetic smile and made his way to the back door.

“Why aren’t you changed?” Niall asked. Louis and Harry looked at each other, confused. “For swimmin’?”

“Niall, it’s like, seven ‘o clock, can’t we just swim tomorrow?” Harry nodded, agreeing with what Louis had said.

“Whatever,” Niall rolled his eyes, “What do we want for dinner?”

“Pizza!”

“Alright, Curly, calm down. You okay with that, Lou?” Louis nodded with a smile on his face.

“Liam, Zayn, what do you think about pizza for dinner?” Niall turned around to see Liam and Zayn giggling, cheeks going red when they noticed everyone looking at them.

“Um, yeah, that’s fine, can we get a cheese one, though?” Zayn asked, scratching his neck.

“Why?” Liam spoke up.

“Zayn’s muslim, he doesn’t eat pork, and pepperoni has pork” Louis answered for him, his tone defensive, and Harry could tell by the way him and Zayn were acting that they had had this conversation too many times.

“Okay,” Harry said, wanting Zayn to feel comfortable and accepted, “We’ll just get two pizzas, cheese and pepperoni. Niall, you ordering for us?” Niall looked at Harry with wide eyes, shocked for whatever reason.

“Y-yeah, sure,” Louis was staring at Niall, like he was observing him or something. Harry would have to ask him about that later.

Niall ordered and they all sat down on the couch in the living room, some random show playing on the tv for background noise. They sat and talked ‘til the pizza came, and ate while watching the tv. The night went on like that, and soon it was nine and everyone was winding down.

“Harry?” He turned to Louis, “I know we’re all supposed to have our own room, but I don’t really like sleeping alone,” And Harry could’ve died right then and there, with Louis looking up at him innocently, asking him to share a room with him.

“Do you wanna share a room with me?” Louis nodded with a huge smile on his face.

“Can we go to bed now?” And, once again, Harry could’ve died. He took Louis’ hand and stood up, saying goodnight to the boys, going upstairs.

“Which room, love?” Louis pointed to the second one on the left. They walked in and stripped to just their shirts and boxers and got under the covers. The room was simple, just a bed and a dresser, a bathroom attached.

Louis immediately snuggled up to him, Harry on his back with Louis tucked into his side, his head on Harry’s chest. Harry chuckled.

“Were you really tired, sunshine, or did you just want cuddles?” He dug his fingers into Louis’ side, making him squirm and giggle.

“I’m kinda tired, but I do appreciate your cuddles, Curly. You’re very warm,” Harry blushed at that, but Louis couldn’t see in the dark of the room.

“Louis, why did Niall act like that when he found out Zayn was muslim?” Louis shifted a bit.

“Niall’s like me. He’s lived here his whole life, and down here, there are some real mean people. Niall’s not one of those people, no, Niall’s great. But, he’s been surrounded by those people his whole life. He’s never met someone like Zayn, and his whole life, he’s only heard bad things about muslim people. He was just shocked,”

“Is that why he acted like so weird when you guys first hung out?”

“That’s why he acted like that with Zayn. He acted weird with me because I’m gay. It’s the same thing as Zayn, just for different reasons,” It was quiet for a bit, a million questions going around Harry’s head when he finally decided on one.

“What do they say about you, down here?” Louis took a deep breath at that, and Harry was scared for his answer.

“They say a lot of things, Harry. They call me names, “queer” and “fairy” and “f*g”, and it hurts. But it’s not just names. It’s the way they act. Backing away when I walk by, covering their kid’s eyes and whispering to ‘em,” Louis’ voice cracked, and he took another deep breath, “they give me looks, they turn away and whisper to their friends. Sometimes I can hear ‘em praying quietly if I’m sitting down. If I’m on the bus and sitting next to ‘em, they pray, and they ask God to keep them safe while they are next to ‘this sinner’, they ask God to help me, make me ‘clean’ and take me away from ‘temptation’. And they don’t think I can hear ‘em, but I can. I know what they’re saying, I know why they back away when I walk by, I know,” Harry had felt something wet fall onto his shirt, and realized Louis was crying.

“Jesus, Lou, I’m sorry. That’s horrible,” Louis just nodded and pushed his face into Harry’s chest. Harry rubbed his back and shushed him, trying his best to comfort Louis while he sobbed quietly. He kept doing that for a bit, only stopping when he realized Louis had fallen asleep, his body heavy on top of Harry, his breaths slow and even. Harry leaned down and pressed a kiss to his hair.

“Sweet dreams, sunshine,”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y’all! hope y’all are all healthy and safe. sorry this chapter is a little later than normal, but it took awhile to write bc its longer. i’ve realized that my pacing is really weird, so bare with me while i work on that. also i realized that everything with harry’s mom may seem kinda weird rn, but i promise it will make sense eventually! thank you so much for all the love on this fic, stay safe and wear a mask, and lastly, feedback is always appreciated :)

“Hey, lovebirds, get up! It’s six thirty, we need to start gettin’ ready for the day!”

Niall’s voice brought Harry out of his slumber, which, unfortunately, was very short, because even though he and Louis got into bed around midnight, he didn’t end up falling asleep until around three, too busy thinking about Louis to rest.

Speaking of Louis, he had also woken up, and Harry almost passed out at how adorable he looked. His shirt was rumbled and his cheeks had lines from where he was laying down. His hair was sticking in all different directions, his eyes bleary.

“Curly, stop starin’. You’re bein’ creepy,” Louis smacked him lightly in the chest. Harry chuckled a bit.

“Sorry, sunshine, you just look very adorable this morning,” And Harry did not mean to say that, but based on how Louis blushed and pushed his face into Harry’s chest, it didn’t seem to be the wrong thing to say.

“Thank you,” Louis replied, his voice muffled. He picked up his head and looked at Harry, “Do you wanna go outside with me? It’s always real pretty in the mornin’ here,” Harry just nodded and let Louis get up, following after him.

Louis took Harry’s hand as they walked down the stairs, Niall yelling at them as soon as they walked out into the living area.

“Good mornin’ y’all! ‘m makin’ pancakes if y’all want some,” They had never stopped walking while he talked, quickly getting to the backdoor.

“No, thank you, Niall, we’ll get some later!” Louis yelled as they walked out, not waiting for Niall’s response, and closed the door.

Louis pulled Harry along as he took in the view, and it was absolutely gorgeous. It was a little cloudy that morning, and fog settled on top of the water. They had a perfect view of the lake and could see the trees, tall and green, their leaves swaying with the breeze that blew by. The air was cool and crisp. There was no one on the water, it being just after sunrise, and everything was peaceful and perfect. Harry was frozen in his spot, admiring the view, when he realized Louis had kept walking.

He didn’t look real as he made his way down the hill to the dock. Still sleep rumpled in just a shirt and boxers, he walked slowly, the faint sunlight hitting him, making his skin golden and his hair shiny.

 _He fits in perfectly,_ Harry thought as he watched Louis sit on the dock, dipping his feet in the water.

“You gonna come down here, Styles?” A huge smile unfurled onto Harry’s face as he made his way to Louis. He got there quick, sitting next Lous, their thighs touching, and put his hands in his lap. He looked over at Louis, who had his eyes closed as he sat. He looked so content and at peace, and Harry couldn’t help but remember last night and how different it was. This was how he wanted Louis to always feel. Forever. He wanted Louis to always have that small smile on his face, for his chest to always rise and fall evenly as he breathed, for his heart to always be full and happy. That was all he wanted, and nothing more.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he felt something on his thigh. He looked away from Louis and at his thigh to see Louis’ hand, palm up on his leg, a silent invitation for Harry to hold it. So he did. He took Louis’ hand, warm and soft, and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander.

They sat for what felt like years, their hands intertwined, their feet dangling in the water. Louis tugged Harry’s hand, and Harry opened his eyes to see Louis looking at him, his blue eyes sparkling.

“Ready to go in, babe? ‘m feelin’ a little hungry,”

“Of course,” Harry stood up, taking Louis with him, and they made their way up the hill and into the house. They took their time going in, not wanting to leave the tranquility of the moment, but knew they had to. They opened the door and immediately heard yelling.

“Say a little prayer, Styles, let’s hope the house doesn’t burn down,” Harry snickered and walked in with Louis, closing the door behind them.

“Finally decided to join us, boys?” Niall asked. Him, Zayn, and Liam were all sat on the couch with pancakes. They all looked between the two boys to see their hands still intertwined, but neither made a move to separate.

“You hungry, sunshine?”

“No, not really. I’ll just have a big lunch later,” Harry nodded and led Louis to the loveseat in the room, sitting the down and wrapping an arm around Louis’ shoulders. Louis cuddled into Harry’s side and let out a sigh. Zayn raised an eyebrow at them, getting glares from both of them.

“So,” Harry said, “anyone want to explain to me why we had to wake up at _six thirty in the morning?_ That’s insane!”

“Lake days are very long, young Harold, you need to wake up early if you wanna do everythin’,” Niall answered, “plus, you get up at, like, seven for school, that’s only a thirty minute difference,”

“But I have to get up th-”

“Ah! No arguin’, Henry! You’re gonna lose. Anyway, we need to start gettin’ ready soon,” With that, Niall stood up and went upstairs, leaving Harry with his jaw on the floor.

“That was rude,” He mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Aw, cheer up, Curly, you’ll live,” Louis teased, patting Harry’s cheek, “I’m gonna start getting’ ready. Comin’ with, Harold?” Harry nodded and got up, following Louis up the stairs.

-

They were all standing on the dock, waiting for Niall to get all the life jackets. To be completely honest, Harry was terrified. He was gonna be the first to go on the…sea doo? He’s pretty sure that’s what it’s called.=

Eventually, Niall came down with the life jackets and everyone started putting one on.

“Niall? Do you have a boatin’ license?” Niall’s head shot up to look at Louis and his brows furrowed.

“No, why?” And then it hit him, “Do I have to have one to drive the sea doo?” He whined. Louis laughed.

“Unfortunately, Nialler, you do. Fortunately, though, I have a boating license. I’ll drive,”

“Really?” Louis nodded, a huge smile on his face, “Okay, just be careful. Momma would kill me if that thing got messed up,” Louis jumped up and down, pumping his fists in the air. Harry watched him fondly, just happy that Louis was happy.

“Curly, you’re up first, right?” Harry nodded, “Okay, if y’all wanna go inside while I take Harry out, that’s fine, but I’m gonna get on and help Harry,” Louis brought the sea doo close to the dock and got on quick while the others went inside. “Okay, Curly, you just get on behind me, make sure your jacket’s on right,” Harry did both of those things, and just sat with his arms at his side awkwardly.

“What now?” Harry asked.

“You have two options, you can hold onto the bars on the sides of the sea doo, or you can wrap your arms around my waist, either one works,” Harry didn’t say anything, just wrapped his arms around Louis’ waist. Louis chuckled at how tight Harry was holding on. “You okay to go, darlin’? If you wanna get off now and send Niall out, that’s fine,”

“I-I’m good. You can go,”

“Hold on tight, I’ve got ya,” Louis pressed some button, Harry doesn’t know what it was, and moved the sea doo forward. They moved very slow at first, but quickly gained speed. The sea doo went over the waves, the water spraying in their faces. Harry’s knuckles were white with how tight he was holding on to Louis. He had his face pressed into Louis’ back, but slowly lifted it up. As they went on, Harry started to enjoy it more, getting more comfortable with the waves and the movement.

“Water’s real choppy today!” Louis yelled, Harry just laughing at that.

“Woohooooo! I’m the king of the world!” He could hear Louis cackle, and a huge grin took over his face. They rode for what felt like hours, yelling and laughing, until Louis slowed down a bit. He turned around to look at Harry.

“You ready to go back now, babe?”

“Do we have to?” Harry whined, making Louis laugh again.

“The others need a turn, too, love,” Harry’s cheeks burned, he couldn’t tell if it was from a possible sunburn or the pet names Louis was using. We’ll go with the former.

“We can go,” Louis turned around and made his way back. It was much calmer on the way back, comfortable silence falling over the two. They pulled up to the dock and got off.

“You have fun, Curly?” Harry just nodded, a little sad that it was over, “Good. Go get Niall, okay?” Harry nodded again. He was about to turn around when Louis grabbed his arm and held him in place. Louis started leaning up and forward, giving Harry a kiss near the corner of his mouth. He pulled away quick and looked down. Harry’s cheeks were burning, and this time, he knew it was not a sunburn. Not wanting to leave Louis hanging, Harry tilted his chin up and reciprocated the action.

“Thank you, sunshine,” Harry whispered. He turned around and made his way to the house.

-

By the time everyone had their turn on the sea doo, it was around twelve. The boys had all gone back inside, Niall deciding to make everyone lunch. They were all in the living room watching tv while Niall made them sandwiches. Harry had noticed Louis was oddly quiet.

“You okay, babe?” Harry asked him. Louis looked up and smiled, nodding. Harry couldn’t help but smile, too, and he pulled Louis into his side, a position that had become normal and comfortable for the both of them.

“Boys, y’all ready to eat?” Niall’s question was met with a chorus of “Yes!” and they all got up and went to the kitchen. After getting their food and going back to the living room, they all ate quietly and watched the tv.

Once everyone was finished, they decided now was a good time to go tubing. Harry decided to stay in, because going on the sea doo was enough for him today. Louis gave him a worried look, but Harry assured him that he was fine, just tired.

The others went outside, and Harry decided to try and get a nap in. He closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep. He slept for awhile, but was woken up by his phone buzzing on the table. He picked it up and looked at the caller ID. Mom. He let out a deep sigh and picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Harry,” his mom said, her tone unreadable, “Just wanted to make sure you’ve been reading your scriptures,” It was quiet, Harry fuming. Of course, she wouldn’t call to make sure he was doing okay, that he’s having fun, no. No, she calls to make sure that he still follows her rules, that he fits her mold.

“Well, have you?” Harry couldn’t even answer. He hung up, and flung his phone onto the other couch. His head in his hands, fingers pulling on his hair, he tried to take deep breaths to calm himself down. He did that for a bit when suddenly, arms were wrapping around him, holding his close. Louis. Harry turned into his embrace, pulling Louis closer to him and pushing his face into his chest. He didn’t even hear the door open, he didn’t hear the boys come in. He picked his head up to see Louis staring down at him, concern written all over his features. He saw the other three standing in the doorway, just watching. Louis flicked his head toward the kitchen, telling the boys to leave. Soon, it was just him and Louis, wrapped up in each other. They sat for a bit, Louis softly humming a song.

“Wanna tell me what that was about, hon?” Louis’ voice startled Harry, but he quickly got over it, relaxing and deciding to tell Louis.

“My mom called,” Louis bummed to show that he was listening, “She didn’t even ask how I was, if I was having fun, none of it. She only asked if I had read my scriptures. Just pisses me off, you know?” Louis hummed again, “Just feels like she doesn’t care sometimes. I don’t know,” Harry rubbed his hands over his face, “It was a stupid thing to get upset about, I’m sorry, probably just ruined the whole trip or somethi-”

“Harry,” Louis let out a humorless laugh, and looked Harry straight in the eye, “You have not ruined anything. You have every reason to be mad, I mean, I’ve never even met this woman, and I can tell she may not be the best mom ever. And even if she doesn’t care, that doesn’t mean no one else does. I care,” He never broke eye contact, not even in the end, and if Harry could drown in Louis’ eyes, if he could jump into them and never come back up, he would do it in a heartbeat.

“You really mean that?” Harry found himself oddly emotional at what Louis said.

“Of course I mean it, why would I eve-“

“No more pity parties, boys, it’s time for all of us to hang out, _together_ , because all day we’ve been split up. I wanna have some quality time with all y’all,” And even though Niall wasn’t wrong about them being split up, Harry kinda wished he would have waited a bit longer to barge in, not wanting his conversation with Louis to end.

“Okay, okay,” Louis said, “What do you wanna do?”

“I don’t know, just sit?”

“Oh, for god sakes, Niall!”

-

The rest of the day consisted of them staying in, eating dinner and just talking, and soon everyone was in bed, asleep. Louis and Harry shared a room again, cuddled up together while they slept. Louis wasn’t really sleeping, just laying there, unable to get rest. Eventually, he got restless, and decided now was a good time to go outside. He shook Harry awake.

“I’m up, I’m up,” Harry mumbled, Louis having to hold back laughter at how stupid Harry looked, his hair all over the place, “Lou, it’s, like, midnight, why’d you wake me up?”

“Wanna go outside with me?”

“Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time, but it’s midnight, babe. Why do you wanna go outside?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Now, are you comin’ or not?” Harry sighed and stood up.

“I’m coming,” Louis grabbed Harry’s hand and rushed downstairs, Harry stumbling behind. They got outside quick and went down to the dock. By then, Louis had stopped rushing and calmed down a bit, so they both sat down on the edge, much like they did in the morning, their thighs touching. The air was cool, the moon high and full, the atmosphere quiet besides the cicadas consistent buzzing. Harry’s looked over at Louis, feeling déjà vu from the morning. Louis looked gorgeous, his skin pale in the moonlight.

“You’re very beautiful, Louis,” Harry hadn’t meant to say that. He looked down at his lap, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

“You know, Curly, you’re beautiful, too,” Harry’s head shot up to see Louis, who was looking at him with a small smile, his eyes sparkling. They just stared at each other, admiring the other person’s beauty. They did that for what felt like years, when Louis slowly started leaning in.

A flash of panic ran through Harry, not knowing what to do, but he quickly relaxed and leaned in, too, connecting the distance between the two.

Louis’ lips were heaven, soft and warm, moving slowly against Harry’s. Harry felt like his whole body was on fire, fireworks shooting under his skin, butterflies swirling around in his stomach. He turned his body so he was facing Louis, Louis doing the same. His arms wrapped around Harry’s neck, Harry’s going around Louis’ waist. Harry ran his tongue along Louis’ lip, a silent ask of permission, the answer coming when Louis opened more, the moment getting more and more.

Suddenly, Louis pulled back. Harry’s heart sank, worrying that Louis regretted it, but when he saw the huge smile on his face, the glimmer in his eyes, he couldn’t help but smile, too. Louis took his hand, dragging Harry back to the house. They made their way back up to their room, giggling the whole way there. Louis pushed Harry onto his back on the bed and straddled his waist, crashing his lips into Harry’s. Harry felt like nothing could ever affect him again, not with Louis on top of him, Louis’ lips on his own. Soon, Louis pulled back, falling onto his side, getting under the covers. Harry followed, wanting to do everything Louis did. Louis rested his forehead against Hary’s, a smile on his face that he felt would never go away. He pressed one last kiss to Harry’s lips, innocent and gentle, and cuddled up to him, his head on Harry’s chest.

“Goodnight, honeydew. Thank you,” And with that, Louis closed his eyes, falling into the most blissful sleep he had ever had.

“Goodnight, sunshine. Thank you,” Harry pressed a kiss to Louis’ head and closed his eyes, letting the warmth of Louis’ body against his wash over him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey babes! sorry this chapter is so late, i’ve been super busy with school and family stuff recently and haven’t had time to write. this chapter is not very important , but i think it’s sweet. not much to say, stay safe and healthy, wear a mask, and all feedback is always appreciated :)

Louis woke up to little kisses being peppered over his face. He scrunched his nose and opened his eyes, seeing Harry in front of him, his cheeks red and a shy smile on his face.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Harry said. A huge smile spread across Louis’ face, and he moved forward to press his lips to Harry’s. He pulled back quickly, unable to stop smiling.

“What are you smiling about?” Harry said through a laugh. Louis giggled at that.

“Just really happy right now,” Harry’s whole face brightened, and his eyes were sparkling.

“Yeah?” Harry asked. Louis nodded quickly, so happy he couldn’t put it into words, “Me, too. ‘ve never been happier,” Harry crashed his lips into Louis’, both moving together smoothly. Louis’ hands started traveling lower, tugging on the hem of Harry’s shirt when:

“Boys! We’re leavin’ today, wake up! We gotta have time to pack!” Louis pulled back with a groan, rolling onto his back on the bed.

“Why does Niall always have to ruin the moment?” He asked. Harry laughed.

“He’s Niall. It’s his job,” Neither of them knew what that was supposed to mean, but they laughed anyway. “Wanna get everything packed?” Louis nodded.

Packing was easy, just having to put some of their clothes and extra stuff back on their bag. They changed into different clothes, just tshirts and jeans, and made their way downstairs with their stuff.

“Good mornin’, boys,” Niall exclaimed when he saw them, cheeky smile on his face, “How are we doin’?”

“Not good after that rude awakenin’. Why do you always have to yell?” Louis said, Harry laughing quietly next to him.

“Yellin’ is fun,” Niall replied with a shrug of his shoulders, “Anyways, I made breakfast. Just pancakes if y’all want some, Zayn and Liam are upstairs packing,” Harry and Louis nodded, quickly getting food and sitting down on the couch.

Throughout breakfast, Harry and Louis sent each other small smiles, blushing the whole time. Niall looked between them with furrowed brows, but went back to eating. “Oh,” Louis said out of nowhere, “Left somethin’ upstairs, be back in a bit,” Louis made his way upstairs, leaving Harry and Niall alone.

“Spill,”Niall exclaimed out of nowhere, Harry looked up at him confused, “You two are actin’ weird. What happened?” Harry blushed and looked down at his plate.

“Promise not to tell anyone else?” Niall nodded immediately, “Louis and I kissed last night,” Harry couldn’t help the smile that came onto his face, still not able to process that he kissed Louis. He looked up at Niall, expecting a huge smile, a pat on the back, a positive reaction. But no.

He looked up to see Niall, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Harry’s face dropped immediately, starting to curl in on himself under Niall’s glare. He looked at his hands in his lap, playing with his fingers nervously.

“I’m back! Just forgot my phone,” Louis said as he came downstairs, trailing off at the end when he noticed the tension in the room. He sat back down on the couch, nudging Harry’s foot with his own. Harry looked up to see Louis with a concerned look on his face. He just shook his head and looked back down, not really wanting to talk about it.

Louis went back to eating his food, completely lost as to what made Harry so upset.

-

The rest of the morning was tense and uncomfortable, no one really talking to each other until they got in the car with everything packed in the trunk. The moment the car started moving, Harry unbuckled and cuddled up to Louis’ side, letting out a long sigh. Louis’ wrapped his arm around Harry’s shoulder and looked down at him with a frown.

“What’s wrong, hon?” Louis whispered, not wanting anyone to hear their conversation. Harry shook his head and pushed it into Louis’ side. “Okay, but you’re telling me when we get home,” Harry hesitated, then nodded. He closed his eyes, deciding to try and get some sleep.

-

“Okay,” Louis and Harry had made it home, Harry still not saying anything. They were sat in Harry’s room on his bed, their shoes abandoned as they started to lay down. “What happened that’s got you so upset, huh?” Harry cuddled up to Louis, laying his head on his chest and closing his eyes.

“Niall,” He mumbled.

“What about Niall, love?” Louis started to rub Harry’s back, doing anything he could to make Harry relaxed and comfortable.

“It’s just,” Harry let out a huff, not knowing how to tell Louis what happened, “You can’t get mad, okay?”

“Could never be mad at you, babe, now tell me what happened?”

“Well, when you left to get your phone, he said that we had been acting weird and he, like, wanted to know why, so I told him about us kissing,” He looked up to gauge Louis’ reaction, but Louis just kept listening, his eyes glued to Harry. “He just sat there. He just sat there with the most unreadable expression, and then you came down. I’m just so confused, like, does he not like me anymore, or, oh my god,” He cut himself off with a groan, not wanting to talk.

It was quiet for a bit, then Louis started talking. “Harry, you know Niall. People here aren’t like the people in Pennsylvania. Niall doesn’t hate you, I can promise that,” Harry let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, “Niall’s probably never been friends with a gay person, you know. People down here live in a bubble, and anyone who comes into the bubble that’s different from them just throws ‘em off. Niall doesn’t hate you, hon, he didn’t mean nothin’ by his reaction. He was probably just shocked. And if Niall does hate you, which, once again, I can promise you he doesn’t, but if he does, we don’t need him anyway, huh?” Harry shook his head, “We don’t need anyone who won’t support you, yeah?” Harry nodded and picked his head up, looking up at Louis. “Now kiss me, you fool,” Louis said with a huge smile, Harry giggled and sat up more, leaning up and connecting his lips with Louis’. In that moment, Harry forgot everything, his thoughts a cycle of _Louis Louis Louis._ Things got heated quickly and they were both sitting up, holding onto each other like they were gonna fall. Harry pulled back with a smile.

“You know, I should probably take you out some time,” He said, a huge grin coming onto Louis’ face.

“Yeah?” Harry nodded, and kissed Louis again, “Where would you take me?” Louis said against Harry’s lips.

“I don’t know,” Harry replied, kissing Louis between phrases, “Maybe we could go to the museum with the weird bunny dudes,” Louis giggled at that, “Or maybe, like, we could go downtown, walk around, maybe we could go to a fancy restaurant, I don’t know,”

“Well,” Louis started, “Those all sound very nice, but, the aquarium is only two hours away in Atlanna, and you said you’ve never been there before,”

“Would you like to go there?” Louis nodded, “Then we’ll go there soon. Anything for my sunshine,” Harry said with a fond smile. A blush rose high on Louis’ cheeks. He pushed Harry down onto the bed and layed on top of him, pressing one firm, final kiss to Harry’s lips, then laid his head down, closing his eyes to go to sleep.


	9. Author’s Note

hey everybody! you guys have probably noticed that i have not been updating as much recently, or really on a schedule, which i apologize for. i’ve decided that i am going to take a small break from this fic (just for a week or two). i have been incredibly busy recently, and this fic also gets difficult to write sometimes. a lot of this story is based off of me and my personal life, especially harry’s conflicts in the story, and i sometimes feel drained writing it bc of this. i’m incredibly sorry for the inconsistency of my writing and updating, please forgive me for that. in the meantime, i am writing a little one shot that hopefully you guys get to read soon. thank you for understanding, stay safe and wear a mask :)

mary ann xx


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y’all! thank you so much for your patience with me while i worked through everything. this chapter is a bit longer than the others, but i think y’all will enjoy it. some parts of it may seem a little odd or out of place, but they. are there to set things up for later in the story. thank you so much for all of the love, stay safe and wear a mask, and remember, all feedback is appreciated :)

Harry woke up to the sound of shuffling and someone cursing under their breath. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times to clear the bleariness, to see Louis, his hair a mess, walking around and getting all of his stuff together.

“Sunshiiiiiine,” Harry grumbled, “Come back to bed,” He opened his arms for Louis to snuggle into.

“I can’t, oh my god,” Harry woke up at that, hearing the stress in Louis’ voice.

“Wait, do we have school?” Harry said, sitting straight up in bed.

“No, no, we have the day off, but I need to go home,” Louis ran his hands through his hair and tried to calm down. “I wasn’t supposed to stay overnight, I fell asleep and Mark, oh my god, Mark is gonna be pissed,”

“Why?”

“He didn’t know I was here, I woke up to, like, 12 missed calls, oh my god,” He turned to Harry, an apologetic look on his face, “I’m so sorry, babe, I have to go, okay? But I’ll call you later, yeah? Bye,” He pressed a quick peck to Harry’s lips and walked out, making his way downstairs.

Harry sat there, his mouth hanging open. He didn’t really realize what had happened until he heard the front door close. Louis had just left. Harry had never seen him so stressed before. Sure, he’d seen Louis upset, but never so distressed. All because of Mark. Who even was Mark?

Harry flopped back down onto his bed, and closed his eyes, deciding he was gonna think about whatever just happened later, when he’s fully awake.

-

The rest of the day consisted of Harry waiting for Louis to call. Of course, he did other things, like getting schoolwork done and stuff, but his phone never left his side.

Harry couldn’t help but be confused about what happened that morning. Louis wasn’t just stressed, he seemed scared, his eyes wide, his breathing heavy and quick. Harry’s assuming that Mark is his stepdad, but that just makes everything so much more serious. He remembers Louis saying that Mark was not supportive of him, and that plus the way Louis was acting this morning, Harry could only worry all day.

It was close to 9 P.M. when Harry’s phone finally rung, _Sunshine_ lighting up his screen. He picked up quickly.

“Hey, Lou”

_“Hey, Curly. How are you doin’?”_

“I’m good, just a little tired. How are you?”

_“I’m okay, had to watch my sisters today, so that was fun”_

“Sounds fun. How did things go with your stepdad?”

Louis coughed, _“Um, things went well, he was a little mad, but, uh, he’s not anymore, so”_

Harry didn’t know whether or not to believe Louis, so he decided to just move on. “That’s good. Anyway, are you busy Saturday?”

_“Um, no, why?”_

“Good, well, my mom is getting a new car, so I’m getting her old one, and I was wondering if you wanted to maybe go on that date we were talking about last night? I could drive us,”

_“Are you askin’ me out, Styles?”_

Harry giggled. “Maybe. So do you think you could go?”

 _“I would love to go, Curly, thank you for askin’, n-”_ Louis was cut off by a muffled shout. It was quiet for a bit before Louis started talking again. _“Sorry, babe, my momma needs help with somethin’. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”_

“Yeah, tomorrow. Bye sunshine,”

Louis giggled. _“Bye, honeydew,”_

The phone beeped to signal the end of the call, and Harry felt like he would never stop smiling. He’s going on a date. With Louis Tomlinson. The prettiest boy he’d ever seen. Harry couldn’t help but stand up from his bed and do a happy dance. He could not wait until Saturday.

-

The next day at school, Niall would not stop talking Harry’s ear off.

“I really am sorry, Harry, I didn’t mean no harm, really, I was just shocked, you and Louis would be so cute toge-”

“Niall, I already told you, it’s fine. I’m not upset, I promise. Well, I was, but then me and Louis talked it out and-”

“You and Louis talked about it?” Niall asked, his eyebrows raised to his hairline. “Please tell me Louis still likes me, I pro-”

“Niall!” Harry exclaimed through a laugh. “It’s okay, yeah? We get it, we moved on, and we’re not mad at you. I promise. Now stop talking about it before Liam hears us,” Niall zipped his lips, making Harry laugh.

Class went on as normal, Niall still apologizing every once in a while, with Harry reassuring that is we as fine. Towards the end, though, Liam started talking.

“Hey, some dude texted me and invited me and Niall to a party tonight. If you and Zayn and Louis wanna come, that’s fine,”

Harry’s brows furrowed. “A party on a Tuesday?”

Liam just shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, it’s weird, but I don’t have anything better to do,”

“Me neither. Who’s hosting the party? Do we know him?”

“Nah, some random kid named Isaiah. I think he just invited the whole school. You wanna go?”

“Yeah, I’m fine with it,” Harry turned to Niall, “You?”

“Yeah, it’s cool,”

“Cool,”

-

“Curly!” Louis yelled as he walked into third block. He’d done this everyday, and it always made Harry’s day a little better.

Harry stood up and walked over to him, wrapping him in a huge hug, “Hey, sunshine,” He let go of Louis and they made their way to their seats. “So, Liam was saying in first block that there’s this party tonight, he was wondering if me, you, and Zayn wanted to go?”

Louis’ face lit up, “I’ve never been invited to a party before, of course I wanna go!” Harry smiled at that.

“Where do you wanna go?” They looked up to see Zayn, standing behind them, his brows furrowed.

“There’s a party, tonight, and we’re invited!” Harry looked at Louis with a fond smile, his excitement endearing.

“Really?” Zayn’s face lit up just like Louis’, “We got invited?”

“Yes! Zayn, we have to go, please, we have to goooooo,” Louis was bouncing in his chair, shaking his desk as he did it.

“Of course we’ll go! We can all, like, meet up after school and get ready together, or something!” Harry laughed at their antics, happy to see his friends happy.

“Okay, let me text Liam that we’re going an-”

“Okay, class!” The teacher interrupted, “Today, we’re gonna do self portraits,” The whole class groaned, but Louis, Zayn, and Harry couldn’t stop smiling in the back row. 

-

“Harry, hurry up! The party starts in an hour and we haven’t even gotten to Zayn’s house yet!”

They were walking to Zayn’s to get ready for the party, because according to Louis, “Zayn has the best party clothes,”. Harry didn’t really know what made clothes “party clothes”, but he wasn’t gonna argue with Louis.

“Coming!” Harry jogged up to Louis and Zayn, quickly walking in step with them. “So what are we gonna be wearing?”

“Simple,” Zayn said, “Black shirt, black pants,”

“And those are party clothes?”

Zayn rolled his eyes, “Yes. We want to stand out. Everyone there is gonna be wearing, like, Vineyard Vines or something, and if we’re wearing all black, we draw attention,”

“Whatever,” Harry still doesn’t really understand, but he doesn’t wanna ask anymore questions.

They made it to Zayn’s house after walking for five more minutes. Zayn’s house was small, but looked homey.

When they walked in, the first thing Harry noticed was the lack of people.

“So do your parents just work during the day or something?”

Zayn shook his head, “I live here alone,”

Harry’s brows furrowed, “Alone? Why?”

“No comment,” Zayn said. An awkward silence fell on the boys, no one really knowing what to say

It was quiet for a bit before Louis started talking, “Sooooo, y’all wanna start getting ready?” Harry and Zayn nodded and they all made their way to Zayn’s room at the back of the house.

The room was simple, a bed in the corner, a dresser next to it, a closet on the other side of the room, a bathroom attached to the room next to the closet. They changed quickly, since the outfits were simple and easy. Once they were changed, they spread out across the room, Zayn on the bed, Harry on the floor next to the door, and Louis sitting against the closet door.

“Y’all do know we got, like, thirty minutes ‘til we gotta leave, right? We got time to do somethin’ else,” Louis spoke abruptly, “Zayn, you still got that makeup in your bathroom?”

“Yeah, got some glitter left,”

“Sick,” Louis turned to Harry, “You comin’ with me, Styles?” Harry didn’t say anything, just stood up with Louis and walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

“You’re looking real cute today, babe,” Harry ducked his head, a blush rising on his cheekbones.

“Could say the same for you, Lou,” He picked his head up to see Louis smiling fondly. He leaned down to press a kiss to his lips, soft and gentle. “I’ve missed you,” He murmured against his lips, just barely loud enough for Louis to hear.

Louis’ brows furrowed, and he pulled back, “What do you mean? I’ve been with you all day, we just spent the whole weekend together,”

Harry nodded, “I know that, I just missed, like, it being just me and you, like right now,” Harry’s cheeks flushed, and, fuck, if Louis wasn’t head over heels for this boy before, there’s no doubt he was now. He didn’t say anything, just leaned up to press a kiss to Harry’s full lips. Their lips slotted together beautifully, their rhythm perfect. Louis rose up onto his toes, putting his arms around Harry’s neck, Harry’s wrapping around his waist. Just as things were getting more heated, a knock on the bathroom door interrupted them.

“You guys almost done in there?” Zayn asked, his voice muffled by the door, “We gotta go in, like, five minutes to meet up with Liam and Niall,”

Harry pulled away reluctantly, resting his forehead against Louis’. He pressed one final kiss to Louis’ lips, soft and sweet, and walked out.

“We couldn’t find the makeup, looked everywhere for it,” Harry wringed his hands behind his back. “Louis’ just putting some stuff back in the cabinets,” He scratched the back of his neck, hoping Zayn would believe him.

“Really? I could’ve sworn it was in there,” Zayn asked, though there was something in his tone that said he didn’t really believe Harry.

Harry cleared his throat, “Yeah, no, wasn’t there,” He shrugged his shoulders and walked past Zayn, going over to his phone.

Louis walked out a couple seconds later, “Couldn’t find it. Anyways, y’all ready to go?”

-

The house was surprisingly close to where Zayn lived, and packed full of people. Harry was a big ball of nerves, staying close to Louis’ side as they walked up to the front door. They spotted Liam and Niall on the front porch.

“Boys,” Niall said as everyone distributed hugs, “How are we doin’?” Harry expected Louis to be the one to answer, like always, but when he felt something grab onto his arm, he looked down to see Louis just staring into the house. Great. Now who was gonna comfort Harry?

“Helloooooo,” A hand waving in front of his face broke Harry out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Liam. “Earth to Louis and Harry,” Louis seemed to snap out of it, quickly putting a smile on his face.

“So excited, y’all have no idea,” Harry had noticed Louis had a habit of that, pretending like nothing had happened and everything was okay. He couldn’t help but be intrigued by it.

“Same here,” He said after Louis, though it wasn’t completely true. He felt like he was about to shit himself, he was so nervous. But he looked down at Louis next to him, tiny and perfect, who sent him a sweet smile. The smile that made his eyes crinkle and light up, and all of Harry’s nerves were gone.

“So, what are y’all waitin’ for?” Niall yelled, making them laugh. They made their way inside, immediately overwhelmed with everything going on.

The place was packed, barely any free room to move around much. There were red solo cups everywhere, and the air seemed filled with nicotine. Harry could barely hear his own thoughts, the music loud and the people louder.

“Holy shit,” Louis said, just barely loud enough for Harry to hear. He chuckled at that, then put his hand on the small of Louis’ back, leading him through the crowds.

As they walked, the conversation seemed to lull when they walked by people. Their eyes seem to linger on Louis and Zayn, looks of confusion flashing across their faces before they turn back to their conversation. Harry pulled Louis close, wrapping an arm around his waist.

They eventually found the drink table, everyone just grabbing a beer. After spotting an empty couch, Niall led them over and they sat down, Louis and Harry sitting next to each other with Niall on the armrest next to them.

“So, what are we supposed to do?”

-

A couple of hours passed, and it was nearing midnight. Harry was not drunk, but buzzed, and Louis was in the same boat. Zayn had somehow found a blunt (don’t ask Harry where it came from) and had been passing it around. They had moved from the couch to a corner of the room, Louis and Harry being in their own little bubble.

They had just been talking about the next football game when someone interrupted.

“Tommo, Malik, nice to see you here,”

His voice was the first thing that set Harry off, his tone mocking and snarky. He had never seen this boy before, but he already had a bad feeling about him.

“Stan,” Louis said, his voice strained, “What do you want?”

A smirk showed up on the boy’s, Stan’s face.

“Am I not allowed to talk to y’all now? Just wanted to check up on y’all,” He wore an arrogant smile on his face.

Zayn took a drag, passing the blunt to Louis. “Well, if you really wanna know,” he started, “We are doing fantastic, but I think things would be even better if you would just walk,” he held his arm out, pointing to a corner at the opposite of the room, “right over there. What do you think, Lou?”

Louis smirked, smoke curling around him. “I think that is an amazin’ idea. Curly, what about you?”

Harry couldn’t help but smile. “It’s genius, sunshine. Y’all wanna go outside?” They all agreed and made their way to the backyard, leaving Stan behind with a stupid look on his face.

Once outside, where there was surprisingly no one else, they all burst out laughing, doubled over with tears in their eyes. The laughter continued for a good five minutes before they all settled down, lying on the grass to look at the stars.

“Just one question, hon,” Louis said out of nowhere, making Harry look to see he was talking to him. “Did I hear you say ‘y’all’ back there?” He raised his eyebrows jokingly.

Harry covered his face with his hands, blushing a bit. “You’re influencing me. Next thing you know, I’ll be saying ‘Atlanna’” He said through a giggle.

“Heyyyyyy. If you’re gonna talk like that, you should at least have an accent when you say it,”

They were interrupted by Zayn, who was standing up with Liam and Niall. “Hey, we’re gonna head out. You guys can crash at my house if you want, it’s like a five minute walk,” Neither of them said anything, just nodded and waited til they left to start talking again.

“Now, tell me, who was that Stan kid back there?”

Louis let out a sigh. “Stan is a douchebag. You know, nobody in the school really likes us, but Stan just despises us. Honestly, I find it funny, but it gets a bit old,” Harry’s brows furrowed listening to Louis talk about Stan. Louis looked over and chuckled, “Now, don’t worry, Styles. He won’t do no harm, too scared to do anything,”

“Just get a bit worried sometimes,” Harry admitted, “Don’t want anyone to hurt my sunshine,”

Pink dusted Louis’ cheeks at that. He turned over so he was almost on top of Harry, connecting their lips. It was sweet and warm and gentle and perfect and Louis was on top of the world. He wishes he could capture moments like these the way you do lightning bugs.

He wishes he could keep this moment with him and just sit and admire it.

And in this moment, they both felt as if nothing could ever go wrong, not with the other right beside them, keeping them safe from all the dangers of the world around them.

If they only knew.


End file.
